Elubo! Part 1

Six of us trekked off to Takoradi, a city about 5 hours west of Accra, this week to do an overnight outreach for the Elubo people. We drove west along the coast most of the way to Cote D’ivoire. The coast is a tropical paradise on the ocean side and cluster of poverty across the street. We got to our hotel late last night which is super cool, made of white plaster in an outdoor maze. Chelsea and I opted to go all out and get the expensive air conditioned room, because Elubo has a lot more bug-age than Accra. Well worth the $15 USD per night. Plus, everyone else came knocking to escape the heavy heat.

After breakfast at the hotel, where Chelsea found little worm larvae in the sealed oatmeal she bought at a shop, we headed off to our outreach. This one took place on top of a hill with a great view, and right next to a massive cell phone tower. Not sure that’s super safe. Anyone know?

Our site was an unfinished cement building (there are many all over Ghana) that lacked windows, doors, and half of the second floor—easier for the goats and children from the mostly outdoor school next door to come play with us.

Today I was doing visual acuity with Alex, and fortunately a local boy stayed with us the entire time to translate the instructions. We use charts with E facing different directions, and you’d be surprised how much explaining it takes for each patient to cover one eye only and point in the direction of the 3 legs. Like, really surprised.

There were many patients that couldn’t see the chart at all or hand motion right in front of their face or sometimes not even a penlight shined into their eyes.

Every time I used a Twi word all of the waiting patients clapped.

The chief also told me I was fancy and offered me a husband.

We saw the younger kids in class outside and had them sing for us. It was adorable and one song was even one we grew up with! “The more we do together the happier we’ll be, ‘cause your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends… “ all while hugging or swinging arms.

When the kids were hanging around the outreach site later they loved my name, they had so much fun shouting Jenny-fah! How ah you! So when my soccer ball was punted out after school let out, all hell broke loose. The ball was gone in seconds and I was being pulled at and even pinched by dozens of school children.

One of the teachers came over, and I was sure I was in trouble for starting so much ruckus. But instead she asked me to give my ball to the school, so they could have it. I had to say no since the ball’s purpose is to be shared with all of the outreach communities, but it wasn’t a good feeling.

I had one little boy get the ball back successfully, and the kids turned to Chelsea with her blond hair and started petting it and pulling on her. Then they sang her their national anthem. It was pretty entertaining.

After 8 hours of visual acuity, we waited around for Ernest to get through all of the patients. Then we headed out for some true Ghanaian food. I had fufu for the a first time, which is a pan-african dish that is a little different in each country. Mine was a ball of mushy, gooey cassava in a spicy-tomato based palm oil broth with half of a tilapia (skin, bones, and all) slapped on top—this cost a lot extra and I did not know that. You eat this dish with your hands, well with only your right hand, by tearing off a piece of the ball in the soup and dragging up some soup and meat. It’s very messy. Very tasty. I’ll probably be sick soon though…

Tonight we walked near the hotel to get some fruits. Little kids in underwear were running all over the street in the dark, calling at us obruni obruni obruni. Still so weird to be called hey white man! over and over.